life in general….

Tag Archives: friends

Last night’s Valentine dinner was an absolute winner. Yay. Thought the wine and chocolate pairing would be ridiculed but the farmers embraced and loved it. Thanks to CharliesBird for the heads up and instructions. Made me look and sound like a pro!

We started with the chocolate and wine pairing. I had a table laid out with a white tablecloth, ten glasses, and 5 bottles of different Leopards Leap wine and 5 different kinds of Lindt Chocolate. Surprisingly the Chilli chocolate went down like a lead balloon with the favourites being the wine and Sea Salt and Mint combo.

I thought 5 couples a perfect size for the dinner party. The wine tasting wine was finished before we started dinner. While standing at the pairing table after the tasting, I served Cream of chicken, mushroom and veg soup in tall shot glasses. Went down well with some asking for seconds.

We then sat down and I served deep-fried camembert halves rolled in egg, flour and cooked couscous on a bed of fresh beetroot, rocket and red onion. accompanying this I had individual chinese spoons with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. with more wine.

The next course was deboned leg of lamb, stuffed with roasted almonds, spinach, onion, garlic. (must just say at this point that I deboned and tied the stuffed leg up myself with string. looked professional, thanks to YOU TUBE and google). I served this with roasted new potatoes, sweet potatoes and wedges of red onion and also steamed green beans. with more red wine!

For dessert I made mini cake pops, with a chocolate layer, heart-shaped chocolate brownies and a sliver of chocolate cheesecake.

Altogether a stunning evening, GREAT company, lots of laughs. John and I had a great time.

Now……on another note, am floundering a bit at the moment with framing. I have NEVER had so much work in my work room at any one time before. The work is piling in on a daily basis and I need to get cracking so I don’t lose the plot. I normally have a two-week lead time for delivery but I’m on about a months lead time at the moment. That’s how busy I am. Am grateful…..but phew tog mense!

OKAY BACK TO THE BLOG challenge:

what’s in my makeup bag?

eye shadow in shades of browns

ear buds

blush

blush brush

Estee Lauder double wear

mascara

and my favourite lipstick of all time REVLON Colourstay Overtime. ETERNAL ROSE

I love make up. It transports me from a frump to someone who has confidence. Am at that age where I need to start wearing make up.

The pigmentation, spots and blemishes are frightfully bad and a bit of foundation can cover up a multitude of sins!!!

It’s frightfully hot here in the Eastern Cape at the moment. On a good note, John thought one of his cows died of Heart Water (which is VERY VERY serious) but got the autopsy results back from the vet and it was something completely different. Something not serious and unavoidable. Glad for his sake.

As much as I’m missing Aidan, and we are, I can’t believe the lack of stress in my daily life. No-one KNOWS how HECTIC it is to cart and carry kids from school and sport unless you’ve done it or are doing it. I’m sitting back this term and I can’t believe how much less stressful it is. Taking him to school, fetching him. Eating lunch, rushing off to sport. Coming home, doing homework, sorting out supper, bathtime, bedtime. AND THAT’s only ONE child!

I have more time to spend with Molly. She’s still going to school, but I have way more time for her.

Maybe I’m trying to make myself feel better for sending my child to boarding school, but bloody hell…there IS a silver lining here. I worked it out, it’s just Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday that I don’t see him. And it’s been difficult for me to relinquish responsibility to someone else, to entrust them to do his homework, to feed him, to orchestrate his extra murals. Not easy. (but once I tasted the freedom….well, in all honesty…it tastes…well….nice!)

Having said that…I can’t wait to speak to him tonight. Tuesday nights are bad nights. Last week he sobbed and begged me to fetch him. I’m holding thumbs it goes a bit better tonight.

On a completely different note, yesterday I went to a tea. I think I had a bit of a Toerets syndrome yesterday, as I do! Can’t stop thinking about what I said? Very funny, but well……very inappropriate. We have friends that are getting married and “saving themselves” for the wedding night. Well she is moving from the big city to be closer to her fiance the month before the wedding. They will be staying in the same house as his folks. Except…. the folks are going on a 3 week holiday. So I opened my BIG BLOODY MOUTH and said: “Yes, there’ll be lots of Pre-marital dry-humping going on in that house!” Very funny, when you’re at the club, half tight on white wine spritzers, but so not fine at a tea. I’m very embarrassed and feel so bad. Everyone laughed but I still feel bad.

Please don’t undermine or disrespect my daughter. And above all don’t disregard her. You have to watch what you say, because sometimes you can come across as tactless. Well, not all of you, rather one or two out of twenty. I know it’s annoying having to sometimes walk on eggshells when I’m in a sensitive mode, but quiet frankly, it’s not nearly as bad as the daily shite I have to put up with, so grow a pair!

Please don’t feign politeness or concern. I don’t care if you don’t mention my child. I don’t always care about your child either. I’d rather have no concern than tactless insincerity. All it does is annoy me and I seethe and imagine witty retorts I should or could have said when lying in the bath at night.

Please ask questions if you feel like asking questions. Your interest in my child is welcome.

Am dying to write an unedited blog post about all the fuckwits I’m surrounded with at the moment. Serious fuckwits. Eish it’s tough keeping one’s big trap shut. I don’t know who reads this blog, so I have to remain restrained to some degree.

It blows my mind how people become Bully’s if you don’t agree with them or bow down to what they want.

News Flash Fucker: I WILL NOT BE BULLIED

At the moment I’m being bullied by someone very close to me. I don’t want to kow tow to their logic. Bullshit logic. And all it ever feels like, is me giving in and my kids being pushed to the back burner again.

Don’t you hate it, when someone does a kind deed for you and then it’s thrown in your face constantly, with them reminding you of their generosity. (never mind that you’ve probably done a lot more than them.)

I know that this blog post is probably annoying, as I’m not naming names…but c’mon seriously….

It’s been horrid on the one hand to be sick, but given me time to reflect on the other hand. Time to step back. Get off the treadmill a little. Eat instant packets of Lite Creamy Veg Soup. It’s all I could handle. (and jelly)

So I’m sitting in bed and I’m looking out of my window, which takes up a whole wall. There’s also a door that leads outside to a little verandah. The door is bliss in summer and sometimes we sleep with the trellidor locked and the door open just to let the air flow in. From my bed I can see right into the valley. Hills and mountains with Aloes and Thorn Trees. It’s a wet morning, overcast. The grass is damp. I can feel Spring lurking just around the corner. To my left are two Bottle Brush Trees. The birds adore Bottle Brushes. And I’m letting it all seep in. The Bougainvillea to my right, the stunning valley view and the twittering birds. I’m just writing, not worried about being witty, or clever, or grammatically correct.

There’s a woman in Church. She’s in her seventies. She suffers from Parkinson’s. Everyday she endures pain that neither you nor I would understand. She handles it with such aplomb. She never moans, she never gets irritable. and it’s her that I remember today. A woman of great courage and integrity. Always full of smiles and jokes and such a source of encouragement to me and my Molls. So B, I know you’re in constant pain, and I just think you’re an inspiration. Always taking it on with a smile like that. God sees you, B. God sees you.

It’s been almost a year since I started this blog and I thought that by now I would reflect a certain pattern of thought.

I mean…as a Mommy blogger, an inspirational blogger, a cooking blogger, whatever. But it hasn’t reflected one constant thing. But if I look at myself, I’m a bit like that. I’m constantly changing, ever-changing, growing. Today I’m Countess von Liebenhagen(not my surname, just a name I read somewhere once) tomorrow I’m Sexy K, next week I’m Mama k. I like to shift and change. although the essence of me is always constant. Maybe in my heart I rebel a little.

So here’s to all the ordinary citizens around us, that serve as reminders of things we can be grateful for, who we can become, what we can achieve….